(WAND) - As AI continues to evolve, scams are becoming more intricate. One Jacksonville, Florida, mom shared her scary experience from a FaceTime call she thought was from her daughter.

For Erika Anderson, it was one of the scariest calls of her life. The FaceTime call looked and sounded real, but Anderson said it was an AI clone of her child.

"I've heard of AI phone calls, but never FaceTime," Anderson said. 

The voice asked her to open the door. But Anderson said her motherly instincts told her something was wrong. Mom started asking questions only her daughter would know. 

The imposter couldn't answer. Anderson hung up the phone and called her daughter's school. They said her daughter was in class, safe and sound.

"All parents can attest that there is an instinct you get when there is something wrong with your kids," Anderson said. 

Anderson said she already uses cameras and location apps to protect her kids. But she never expected to have to defend against AI. 

"That's even scarier, actually, because it wasn't until this moment. And so, this happened when I realized it's more things now that I have to be worried about, every parent, human being and everything," Anderson said.  

The family later learned that the FaceTime call was a prank pulled by a teen using an app called Spook. Cybersecurity experts say families should create code words only they know, to verify who's really on the other end. 

Copyright 2026. WAND TV. All rights reserved.